Improvement in flood-gates for mill-dams



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN COLTON, OF SARDINIA, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN FLOOD-GATES FOR AMILL-DAMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 46,883, dated March 21, 1865.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN CoLtIoN, of Sardinia, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Flood-Gate for Mill-Dams; and I do hereby declare that the following is a fall and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part ot' this specification, in which- Figure I is a vertical section of myim proved flood-gate, located centrally in a mill-dam. Fig. II is a plan view of the same.

The nature ot' this invention consists in placing and using centrally in a mill-dam a ume or frame-work, in which is arranged a hinged wastegate, connected with a weighted lever or working-beam in such manner that the working-beam will exactly balance the gate and hold it shut atan angle of about fortytve degrees when the water in the dam is at a proper or safe height, and which will yield and allow the gate to open and discharge the water when the water rises above the point indicated as the point of safety, and when the water recedes and falls below the point of safety then the working-beam will overcome the pressure ot' the water upon the gate and close the gate, thus making a self-acting safety dood-gate, which will insure the dam against damage by the sudden rise of water.

My improvement may be used in a mill-dam constructed in a common manner of earth, wood, or mason-work, such dam being represented in the drawings at A.

The flume or frame-work, which contains my improvement, is represented at B. This iiume is permanently placed centrally in the dam, forming a part thereof, and is sufficiently capacious to allow all the surplus water to escape, so that it cannot accumulate in the dam to endanger it. The gate is represented at C and is hinged to the -flume-frame, as shown at c', and shuts against heavy cleats or casings on the side ot' the iiume, as shown at D, and when closed stands at an angle of about forty-tive degrees.

Posts E rise vertically from the flume for the support of the Working-beams F. These beams are supported on the posts E by means of a shaft, G, which has journal-bearings in the posts, as shown at e. These beams have a cross-tie, as shown at H, being made wide, so that balancing-weights may be attached to it, if necessary.

The gate is connected to the upper ends ot the working-beams by means of two hinged connecting-rods, as shown at I, so that the working-beams will balance the gate and hold it shut at the proper height of water, as shown in Fig. I.

Operation: The flume containing this improvement is permanently placed iu the milldam or canal or other place Where a flood-gate is needed. (The principle of this improvement is applicable anywhere a dood-gate can be used.) The working-beams are balanced on the journal-shaft G so that they will hold the gate closed when the water in the dam is as high as it is safe to allow it to rise, and when the water rises above that certain height the Water-pressure upon the gate will be sufficient to overcome the weight of the working-beams, and the gate will open as shown by the red dotted lines in Fig. I, and the water Will then pass freely through the flume without endangering the safety of the dam.

When the water falls to its proper height in the dam, the working-beams will overcome the water-pressure upon the gate and the gate will thereby be closed, thus making a selfacting safety dood-gate, which fully answers the purpose and object for which it is intended.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A self-acting safety dood-gate, composed of the gate C, working-beams F, and connectingrods I, placed and used in a flume, B, for the purposes and substantially as herein described MARTIN COLTON. Witnesses:

SAEDIs HOBAR'I, J. W. WEATHEELOW. 

